This article is part of my FREE e-course Art Journaling 101 – which has been designed to gently introduce beginners to the basics of art journaling so you can find your way with more ease and less fear. If you’re curious about art journaling or overwhelmed with how to begin, sign up for the full free course HERE.

In this age of global sharing, you can’t help but want to share your creations; especially something so visually pleasing as an art journal. And, in fact, sharing is an important part of the creative process. We create, then release it into the world so to speak. Get feedback… learn… grow…

So as I fell in love with the world of art journaling, and delved head first into my own journal, it was only natural for me to start sharing each of my pages as I created them.

But the more that I shared, the more disconnected I was feeling from the process. It became a cycle, a job, something I wished to not participate in any longer. So I pulled back, creating less and less.

I wasn’t interested in creating art in a book.

And as I realized this, I began to understand that I was treating it as I did all my other creations: as something to share with the world. When in fact, what I was craving was a sacred space… a place to call my own, to express myself fully without fear of judgment.

So I began again.

This time knowing that it was only for me. Knowing that this journal was a place that I could hold dear to my heart. Knowing that this was a safe space to be ME. Knowing that it was okay to make something not worth sharing, because it was what my Soul wanted to express.

Now, I almost hesitate to call it “art” journaling (and only continue to do so because it’s what everyone recognizes). Because the truth is, this isn’t ART. It’s what I like to call Creative Soul Expression. And the more you treat it as such, the more your Soul will feel free to fully express itself.

So let’s make journaling personal again. Let’s grab our journals and hold them close to our hearts.

And just to be clear, I’m not saying you should never share your pages. I’m just saying we should shift our intentions to making it safe, to making it personal. Work on a page for yourself, and see what comes out of you. Then, and only then, share as you see fit. Some you’ll be able to share, some not.

Intention is everything.

P.S. If you struggle with keeping your journal sacred, or simply love to share your pages but want a way to freely express yourself without sharing your thoughts with the world, join me in my mini self-guided class Safe Haven Art Journaling where we’ll explore how to set boundaries, build sacred space, and play with hidden journaling techniques – so that we can begin to see our journals as a safe haven to fully express ourselves.

Phew, what a month it’s been! I left a lot of time open to film and write for my upcoming workshop Dancing in the Unknown which will be offered alongside 20+ other holistic workshops in Spectrum 2016. But of course half way through the month I lost all inspiration to work on it.

All wasn’t lost though, I was surprised with a clear vision of a different mini workshop. One that would address a nagging thought I’ve been having:

I feel like the true intentions of art journaling are being lost within all of the available art supplies and tutorial videos out there.

I wanted to build a space to hold a conversation around this. I wanted to share what I use in my own practice to hold my journal as a sacred place to truly express myself. And so, Safe Haven Art Journaling was born.

If you’re interested in reclaiming your journal as your own personal safe space, join us to talk about setting boundaries, building sacred space, using an approach that makes us comfortable, and to play with hidden journaling techniques.

Not surprisingly, as soon as I finished putting together Safe Haven, my inspiration returned to work on Dancing in the Unknown. And wow! What a rush it’s been! It feels like everything I wanted to share about uncertainty in our lives and facing the unknown and listening to our wise Soul voice is just pouring out of me with so much ease.

Within this workshop, I share my experience along with two exercises you can practice to expand your comfort zone with the unknown to allow space to hear that wise voice within.

Let’s spend time exploring the place where intuition and fear meet. I dare you to get curious about what your heart has to say and how it will guide you to make decisions aligned with your Soul’s purpose.

I’m so excited to share with you that I’ve been invited to be a guest teacher in the beautiful, online holistic workshop called Spectrum this year. What’s more, is that I have one spot to give away as part of the Give-Away Blog-Hop!

Organized by Hali Karla of Hali Karla Arts, Spectrum 2016 will be guided by 20 NEW featured teachers and more than 20 returning contributors offering a variety of workshops, inspiration and invitations – all intended to empower, nurture and celebrate your innate creative expression, healing journey, and personal development.

During the workshop (which starts May 2nd), there will be weekly inspiration & reflective activities related to mixed-media art-making and journaling, guidance on integrating your creative process and holistic awareness into your day-to-day life, and a variety of opportunities to connect, support, and share with others in the growing Holistic-Creative online community.

Talk about a powerful collection of words! You can expect a variety of perspectives on these topics and so much more. I’m excited even just to be participating in such a rich, diverse collective!

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To learn more about the details, including all of the contributors and workshop offerings for this course CLICK RIGHT HERE.

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Dancing in the Unknown

For my particular offering, I decided to focus on the prompt “navigating uncertainty”.

I believe being uncomfortable with uncertainty and the unknown play a big role in our fears and how we navigate our decisions in life. From the minute everyday decisions, to the big, life-changing decisions, our fear stands in the way of us hearing our true wisdom.

But what happens when we become more comfortable with the unknown? Our fear loosens its grip, we’re more easily able to hear our intuition… our Soul, and we can make better decisions more aligned with our Soul’s purpose.

Join me, as we step into the unknown, and use creativity as a tool to expand our comfort zone with uncertainty, listen deeply within, learn to navigate our fear, and start to build trust in our inner knowing… Trust in ourselves.

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Pre-registration officially opens on February 1, 2016 (and the program begins May 2). So be sure to sign up for email updates below if you want to get notified when the doors open!

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Enter the Give-Away

I have one free pass for Spectrum 2016 to offer you! To enter the drawing, please do each of the following:

#1. Share – Please share this post on your social media channels. You can find handy links at the bottom of this post, or feel free to pin an image to Pinterest!

#2. Comment – Share with me below in the comments why you’d like to join us in Spectrum. What has you intrigued? Or, Why do you feel this class would be good for you?

Blog-Hop Contributors

Below is a list of the other teachers who are playing along in the Spectrum 2016 blog-hop, with the dates their give-away goes live. Be sure to visit their site and enter there as well for extra chances to win!

This article is part of my FREE e-course Art Journaling 101 – which has been designed to gently introduce beginners to the basics of art journaling so you can find your way with more ease and less fear. If you’re curious about art journaling or overwhelmed with how to begin, sign up for the full free course HERE.

Dear ugly page,

I know you didn’t mean to cause such turmoil. But as you emerged within my journal, I was faced with so many thoughts and emotions that almost brought me to tears.

I guess I was secretly hoping that you would turn into something beautiful… something that I could look back on and smile, something I could share with the world. Because when you didn’t, I was flooded with disappointment and frustration. I began to worry, “Why can’t I create something I love?”

That’s when it hit me – I was putting conditions on my love for you … when all you’ve ever done was bring me joy, and insight, and relief.

What right do I have to withhold my love for you when all you did was become who you were meant to be?

What right do I have to tell you who you should or should not be?

You were created as an expression of my Soul. You are what needed to be released, what needed to be born. You are evidence that I have the magic to create something from nothing. You are the evidence of creativity flowing through me. You are the evidence of me honoring ME.

So I thank you.

I thank you for having the courage to be who you are without fear or shame, so that I may learn to do the same – flaws and all.

I thank you for reminding me to enjoy the process of creating, releasing, and expressing; and to relish every moment I have to share with you.

I thank you for showing me that there is much more in life beyond my thoughts, beyond my ego; and that there are discoveries to be made around every corner.

And I thank you for unapologetically showing up when you knew you weren’t what I was hoping for, to remind me to celebrate where I am today instead of always looking to the future. I thank you for being that physical reminder of where I am right here and now, so that I may look back on my growth as a creative, as a woman, as a human, as a Soul.

I'm Kristal: an artist, writer, creativity guide and inspirationalist. If you're ready to fully reclaim your true creative self, then you're in the right place...
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About Kristal

Kristal is a creative life coach who helps women reclaim their creative magic, reconnect with their Soul, and realize their innate magnificence so they can lead a more authentic, fulfilling life. Click here to read more...